Cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis helps managers understand the interrelationships among cost, volume, and profit by focusing their attention on the interactions among the prices of products, volume of activity, per unit variable costs, total fixed costs, and mix of products sold. It is a vital tool used in many business decisions such as deciding what products to manufacture or sell, what pricing policy to follow, what marketing strategy to employ, and what type of productive facilities to acquire.
Learning objective number 1 is to explain how changes in activity affect contribution margin and net operating income.
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The contribution income statement is helpful to managers in judging the impact on profits of changes in selling price, cost, or volume. For example, let's look at a hypothetical contribution income statement for Racing Bicycle Company (RBC). Notice the emphasis on cost behavior. Variable costs are separate from fixed costs. The contribution margin is defined as the amount remaining from sales revenue after variable expenses have been deducted.
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Contribution margin is used first to cover fixed expenses. Any remaining contribution margin contributes to net operating income.
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Sales, variable expenses, and contribution margin can also be expressed on a per unit basis. For each additional unit Racing Bicycle Company sells, $200 more in contribution margin will help to cover fixed expenses and provide a profit.Each month Racing Bicycle must generate at least $80,000 in total contribution margin to break-even (which is the level of sales at which profit is zero). If Racing sells 400 units a month, it will be operating at the break-even point. If Racing sells one more bike (401 bikes), net operating income will increase by $200.
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Each month Racing Bicycle must generate at least $80,000 in total contribution margin to break-even (which is the level of sales at which profit is zero).
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If Racing sells 400 units a month, it will be operating at the break-even point. Let’s see what happens if Racing sells one more bike or a total of 401 bikes.
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You can see that the sale of one unit above the break-even point yields net income of $200 for Racing Bicycle.
If we develop equations to calculate break-even and net income, we will not have to prepare an income statement to determine what net income will be at any level of sales. For example, we know that if Racing Bicycle sells four hundred thirty bikes, net income will be $6,000. The company will sell 30 bikes above the break-even unit sales and the contribution margin is $200 per bike. So, we multiply 30 bikes times $200 per bike and get net income of $6,000.
Learning objective number 2 is to prepare and interpret a cost-volume-profit (CVP) graph.
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The relationship among revenue, cost, profit and volume can be expressed graphically by preparing a cost-volume-profit (CVP) graph. To illustrate, we will use contribution income statements for Racing Bicycle Company at 300, 400, and 500 units sold.
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In a CVP graph, unit volume is usually represented on the horizontal (X) axis and dollars on the vertical (Y) axis. Using this convention, a CVP graph can be prepared in three steps.
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The first step begins by drawing a line parallel to the volume axis to represent total fixed expenses of $80,000.
Next, choose some sales volume (for example, 500 units) and plot the point representing total expenses (e.g., fixed and variable) at that sales volume. Draw a line through the data point back to where the fixed expenses line intersects the dollar axis.
Finally, choose some sales volume (for example, 500 units) and plot the point representing total sales dollars at the chosen activity level. Draw a line through the data point back to the origin.
The break-even point is where the total revenue and total expenses lines intersect. In the case of Racing Bicycle, break-even is 400 bikes sold, or sales revenue of $200,000. The profit or loss at any given sales level is measured by the vertical distance between the total revenue and the total expenses lines.
Learning objective number 3 is to use the contribution margin ratio (CM ratio) to compute changes in contribution margin and net operating income resulting from changes in sales volume.
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We can calculate the contribution margin ratio of Racing Bicycle by dividing total contribution by total sales. In the case of Racing Bicycle, the contribution margin ratio is 40%. This means that for each dollar increase in sales the company will produce 40¢ in contribution margin.
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The CM ratio can also be calculated by dividing the contribution margin per unit by the selling price per unit.
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Let’s see how we can use the contribution margin ratio to look at the contribution margin income statement of Racing Bicycle in a little different way. If RBC is able to increase its sales by $50,000 it will increase contribution margin by $20,000, that is, $50,000 times 40%.
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Can you calculate the contribution margin ratio for Coffee Klatch? The calculation may take a minute or so to complete.
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How did you do? The CM ratio is 75.8%.
Learning objective number 4 is to show the effects on contribution margin of changes in variable costs, fixed costs, selling price, and volume.
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Let’s assume that the management of RBC believes it can increase unit sales from 500 to 540 if it spends $10,000 on advertising. Would you recommend that the advertising campaign be undertaken? See if you can solve this problem before going to the next screen.
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As you can see, even if sales revenue increases to $270,000, RBC will experience a $12,000 increase in variable costs and a $10,000 increase in fixed costs (the new advertising campaign). As a result, net income will actually drop by $2,000. The advertising campaign certainly would not be a good idea. We can help management see the problem before any additional monies are spent.
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Here is a shortcut approach to looking at the problem. You can see that an increase in contribution margin is more than offset by the increased advertising costs.
Management at RBC believes that using higher quality raw materials will result in an increase in sales from 500 to 580. The higher quality raw materials will lead to a $10 increase in variable costs per unit. Would you recommend the use of the higher quality raw materials?
As you can see, revenues will increase by $40,000 (80 bikes times $500 per bike), and variable costs will increase by $29,800. Contribution margin will increase by $10,200. With no change in fixed costs, net income will also increase by $10,200.The use of higher quality raw materials appears to be a profitable idea.
Here is a more complex situation. What is the profit impact if RBC: (1) cuts its selling price $20 per unit, (2) increases its advertising budget by $15,000 per month, and (3) increases sales from 500 to 650 units per month?
This appears to be a good plan because net income will increase by $2,000. Take a few minutes and analyze the change in sales revenue, variable expenses and fixed expenses.
Here is another complex question involving cost-volume-profit relationships. What is the profit impact if RBC: (1) pays a $15 sales commission per bike sold instead of paying salespersons flat salaries that currently total $6,000 per month, and (2) increases unit sales from 500 to 575 bikes?
Net income increased by $12,375. Notice that sales revenue and variable expenses increased as well. Fixed expenses were decreased as a result of making sales commissions variable in nature.How did you do? We hope you are beginning to see the potential power of CVP analysis.
Suppose RBC has a one-time opportunity to sell 150 bikes to a wholesaler. There would be no change in the cost structure as a result of this sale. Racing wants the one-time sale to produce a profit of $3,000. What selling price should RBC quote to the wholesaler?
If we desire a profit of $3,000 on the sale of 150 bikes, we must have a profit of $20 per bike. The variable expenses associated with each bike are $300, so we would quote a selling price of $320. You can see the proof of the quote in the blue schedule.
Learning objective number 5 is to compute the break-even point in unit sales and sales dollars.
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We can accomplish break-even analysis in one of two ways. We can use the equation method or the contribution margin method. We get the same results regardless of the method selected. You may prefer one method over the other. It’s a personal choice, but be aware there are some problems associated with either method. Some are easier to solve using the equation method, while others can be quickly solved using the contribution margin method.
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The equation method is based on the contribution approach income statement. The equation can be stated in one of two ways:
Profits equal Sales less Variable expenses, less Fixed Expenses, or
Sales equal Variable expenses plus Fixed expenses plus ProfitsRemember that at the break-even point profits are equal to zero.
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Here is some information provided by Racing Bicycle that we will use to solve some problems. We have the contribution margin income statement, the selling price and variable expenses per unit, and the contribution margin ratio.
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The break-even point in units is determined by creating the equation as shown, where Q is the number of bikes sold, $500 is the unit selling price, $300 is the unit variable expense, and $80,000 is the total fixed expense.We need to solve for Q.
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Solving this equation shows that the break-even point in units is 400 bikes. We want to be careful with the algebra when we group terms.
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The equation can be modified as shown to calculate the break-even point in sales dollars. In this equation, X is total sales dollars, point six zero (or 60%) is the variable expense as a percentage of sales, and $80,000 is the total fixed expense.We need to solve for X.
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Solving this equation shows that the break-even point is sales dollars is $200,000. Once again, be careful when you combine the X values in the equation.
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The contribution margin method has two key equations:Break-even point in units sold equals Fixed expenses divided by CM per unit, and
Break-even point in sales dollars equals Fixed expenses divided by CM ratio.
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Part I
Let’s use the contribution margin method to calculate break-even in total sales dollars.
Part II
The break-even sales revenue is $200,000.
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Now use the contribution margin approach to calculate the break-even point in cups of coffee sold.
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The contribution margin per cup of coffee is $1.13. The number of cups to sell to reach break-even is 1,150.
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Let’s calculate the break-even in sales dollars for Coffee Klatch.
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With a contribution margin ratio of 75.8% (rounded), break-even sales revenue is $1,715.
Learning objective number 6 is to determine the level of sales needed to achieve a desired target profit.
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We can use either method to determine the revenue or units needed to achieve a target level of profit.Suppose RBC wants to earn net income of $100,000. How many bikes must the company sell to achieve this profit level?
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Instead of setting profit to zero like we do in a break-even analysis, we set the profit level to $100,000. Solving for Q, we see that the company will have to sell 900 bikes to achieve the desired profit level.
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A quicker way to solve this problem is to add the desired profits to the fixed cost and divide the total by the contribution margin per unit. Notice we get the same result of 900 bikes.
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The Coffee Klatch wants to earn a monthly profit of $2,500. How many cups of coffee must the company sell to reach this profit goal?
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We add the desired profit to the fixed cost and divide by the unit contribution of $1.13. The company must sell 3,363 cups of coffee to reach its profit goal.
Learning objective number 7 is to compute the margin of safety and explain its significance.
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The margin of safety helps management assess how far above or below the break-even point the company is currently operating. To calculate the margin of safety, we take total current sales and subtract break-even sales.Let’s calculate the margin of safety for RBC.
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RBC is currently selling 500 bikes and producing total sales revenue of $250,000. Sales at the break-even point are $200,000, so the company’s margin of safety is $50,000.
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We can express the margin of safety as a percent of sales. In the case of RBC, the margin of safety is 20% ($50,000 divided by $250,000).
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The margin of safety can be expressed in terms of the number of units sold. RBC’s margin of safety is 100 bikes.
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Let’s see if you can calculate the margin of safety in cups of coffee for the Coffee Klatch.
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The margin of safety is 950 cups, or we can calculate the margin of safety as 45%.
A company’s cost structure refers to the relative proportion of fixed and variable expenses. Some companies have high fixed expenses relative to variable expenses. Do you remember our discussion of utility companies? Because of the heavy investment in property, plant and equipment, many utility companies have a high proportion of fixed costs.
Generally, companies with a high fixed cost structure will show higher net income in good years than companies with lower fixed cost structures. Just the opposite is true in bad years. Companies with low fixed cost structures enjoy greater stability in income across good and bad years.
Learning objective number 8 is to compute the degree of operating leverage at a particular level of sales and explain how it can be used to predict changes in net operating income.
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The degree of operating leverage is a measure, at any given level of sales, of how a percentage change in sales volume will affect profits. It is computed by dividing contribution margin by net operating income.Let’s look at Racing Bicycle.
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Recall that Racing is currently selling 500 bikes and producing net income of $20,000. Contribution margin is $100,000.
Operating leverage is 5. We determine this by dividing the $100,000 contribution by net income of $20,000.
Now that we calculated the degree of operating leverage for RBC, let’s see exactly what this means to management.
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If Racing is able to increase sales by 10%, net income will increase by 50%. We multiply the percentage increase in sales by the degree of operating leverage. Let’s verify the 50% increase in profit.
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A 10% increase in sales would increase bike sales from the current level of 500 to 550. Look at the contribution margin income statement and notice that income increased from $20,000 to $30,000. That $10,000 increase in net income is a 50% increase.So it is true that a 10% increase in sales results in a 50% in net income. This is powerful information for a manager to have.
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See if you can calculate the degree of operating leverage for the Coffee Klatch.
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The computations took a while to complete, didn’t they. You can see that operating leverage is 2.21.
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If the Coffee Klatch is able to increase sales by 20%, what will be the increase in net income?
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You are right. The increase in net income is 44.2%.
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Here is our verification of the increase in net income. Take a few minutes and make sure you understand how we calculated all the numbers.
You have probably heard that salespersons can be compensated on a commission basis. The commission is usually based on sales revenue generated. Some salespersons work on a salary plus commission.When salespersons are paid a commission based on sales dollars generated, the income statement impact may not be fully understood.Let’s look at an example.
Pipeline Unlimited produces two surfboards. The XR7 model sells for $100 dollars and has a contribution margin per unit of $25. The second surfboard, the Turbo model, sells for $150 and has a contribution margin of $18 per unit sold. The sales force at Pipeline is paid on sales commissions.
If you were on the sales force, you would try to sell all the Turbo models you could because it has a higher selling price per unit. The problem is that the XR7 model produces a higher contribution margin to the company.It might be a good idea for Pipeline to base its sales commissions on contribution margin rather than selling price alone.
Learning objective number 9 is to compute the break-even point for a multiproduct company and explain the effects of shifts in the sales mix on contribution margin and the break-even point.
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When a company sells more than one product, break-even analyses become more complex because of the relative mix of the products sold. Different products will have different selling prices, cost structures and contribution margins.Let’s expand the product line at Racing Bicycle and see what impact this has on break-even. We are going to assume that the sales mix between the products remains the same in our example.
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Racing Bicycle sells both bikes and carts. Look at the contribution margin for each product. Notice that we subtract fixed expenses from the total contribution margin. We do not allocate the fixed costs to each product.The sales mix shows that 45% of the company’s sales revenue comes from the sale of bikes and 55% comes from the sale of carts.The combined contribution margin ratio is 48.2% (rounded). Let’s look at break-even.
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Part I
Break-even in sales dollars is $352,697. We calculate this amount in the normal way. We divide total fixed expenses of $170,000 by the combined contribution margin ratio.
Part II
We begin by allocating total break-even sales revenue to the two products. 45% of the total is assigned to the bikes and 55% to the carts.The variable costs-by-product are determined by multiplying the variable expense percent times the assigned revenue. The contribution margin is the difference between the assigned revenue and the variable expenses. Once again, we subtract fixed expenses from the combined total contribution margin for the two products. Because we used a rounded contribution margin percent, we have a rounding error of $176.Obviously, the more products a company has, the more complex the break-even analysis becomes.
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Here are the four key assumptions of cost-volume-profit analysis. You are probably familiar with the first three by now. The forth assumption tells us that there can be no change in inventory levels. That is, all units produced are sold in the current period.